Shadaya is in Year 12 and in the thick of assessments that leave her little time to write, particularly as the last few weeks have been a flurry of media interviews and a steep increase in social media followers. She is philosophical about the irony of it taking an international publication to turn Aotearoa on to her books: \u201cThere\u2019s a time and place for all things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Shadaya first started publishing her middle-grade novels (aimed at 8-12-year-olds) and her mother tried to pitch her story, the media wasn\u2019t interested. Now she\u2019s batting away reporters, working to upgrade her website<\/a> to manage orders and fielding inquiries from booksellers eager to stock her work. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy. It feels so surreal,\u201d she beams.<\/p>\n Before Time, Shadaya\u2019s profile started to build with her inclusion in the YWCA Y25<\/a> \u2013 a programme that celebrates the vision and young leadership of women between the age of 15 and 25. She credits that organisation with alerting Time to what she was up to: writing fantasy novels with a core message of \u201canything is possible\u201d and publishing, marketing and distributing them herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n It was in the thick of the Covid years of 2020 and 2021 that Shadaya realised she could inspire others with her writing. In Year 10 a teacher, Sanjeena Chandra, allowed Shadaya to join the Young Enterprise Scheme, despite the programme usually being reserved for Years 12 and 13. Shadaya\u2019s project was to tour her two novels to schools to promote literacy and creativity. \u201cI believe that kids, especially teenagers, are afraid to pursue their dreams because they may feel it is out of reach,\u201d she says. \u201cBy sharing my journey, I want children to understand the importance of literacy, creativity, and stepping out of their comfort zones.\u201d <\/p>\n Shadaya\u2019s project saw her win the Rotorua\/Taup\u014d regionals and secure a finalist place. \u201cIt just takes small steps,\u201d she says. \u201cSmall steps lead to success.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Shadaya didn\u2019t always enjoy writing. \u201cIt was my most critiqued subject,\u201d she says, \u201cmaybe only after maths.\u201d\u00a0 It was only because her friend, Sophie Thompson, was a bookworm that she gave it a go and at the age of nine wrote an entire novel to give to Thompson as a birthday present. Shadaya\u2019s motivation was the vision of that end result: being able to give a book-loving friend her very own fantasy novel, printed and bound, for her 10th birthday. Shadaya\u2019s parents encouraged her to print more than one copy: \u201cthey are massive supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n There was an early attempt to try to get Shadaya\u2019s novels traditionally published but the family realised quickly that it wasn\u2019t a realistic pathway for a 10-year-old. Self-publishing, warns Shadaya, is expensive and it takes a lot of work. \u201cIt\u2019s very tricky to make sales. It\u2019s a very tricky industry,\u201d she says. The marketing and distribution is an ongoing and significant time investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of a hassle,\u201d she says about getting her books into the hands of readers. \u201cYou have to put yourself out there and be very strategic about it and push hard, because that\u2019s how you meet that breakthrough point.\u201d Shadaya sells her books at markets and has managed to get them into local Paper Plus bookstores in the Waikato, The Women\u2019s Bookshop in Auckland, as well as The Children\u2019s Bookshop in Wellington. Hamilton libraries carry copies, too. At the time of our conversation, Shedaya hasn\u2019t had any traditional publishers approach her but she feels she isn\u2019t quite ready for that anyway. There\u2019s that standalone novel to do and a bunch of other projects before she\u2019ll \u201cdive into\u201d that side of the industry. Her ultimate dream is to be a hybrid author: self-publishing as well as writing books she knows will work for the traditional model.\u00a0<\/p>\n Right now, Shadaya has to focus on school and exams. It\u2019s only when holidays roll around that she can get back to novels. During term time Shadaya will write poems and short stories, \u201csort of like writing training\u201d so she has a run-up into the school holidays where there\u2019s more space for novels. Her most recent writing stint was after her mock exams were over: \u201cI finished early so I decided to do my own version of NaNoWriMo\u201d (a recently closed<\/a> organisation that encouraged manuscript-drafting sprints with daily word count goals). In 27 days she got the fourth draft of her latest novel done and prepared for a copyeditor and proofreader, as well as beta readers (early readers who give feedback), who she says are essential for making sure her work \u201disn\u2019t terrible\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n Seven years on from her first novel, Shadaya is a committed author, in love with the play of worldbuilding and the adventure of her characters. \u201cYou become a creator of a world and you want to know what happens. There is so much power and control in that.\u201d<\/p>\n Shadaya\u2019s books \u2013 Rachel and the Enchanted Forest, Rachel and the Chevene Pirates, and Rachel and the Mischievous Thieves \u2013 are for ages eight to 12, the age range she was when she first conceived of the magical world she\u2019s still working within. \u201cI love getting feedback,\u201d she says of her readers. Parents will often pass on thoughts from their children or Shadaya will get direct messages from fans telling her they love her stories and want more.<\/p>\n Shadaya\u2019s early influences include David Walliams and the Harry Potter series. \u201cI was a heavy bookworm. I\u2019d get in trouble for staying up late reading on school nights. I loved reading, I just didn\u2019t like writing!\u201d Fantasy was always attractive for its potential: \u201cI\u2019ve always liked that adventure. I\u2019ve always wanted to have magical powers. Like, imagine a world where you could summon food, or teleport. It\u2019s such an escape.\u201d<\/p>\nShadaya with her family at the YWCA ceremony.<\/p>\n
Rutendo Shadaya with her novels.<\/p>\n